People convicted of "upskirting" would be placed on the sex offender register once the law is approved by parliament.

Some instances of "upskirting" are currently prosecuted under existing public decency and voyeurism laws, but campaigners said not all instances were covered by existing criminal law.

Campaigner Gina Martin started an online petition after police declined to prosecute a man she accused of taking a picture of her on his phone at a music festival as she had been wearing underwear and the photo was therefore not considered illegal.

"This is obviously great news," Martin said on Friday.

"Now -- hopefully -- we can get access to justice for all victims because the politicians listened," she said.

"This form of abuse is painful and humiliating for victims and often has a devastating impact on all aspects of their lives."

Lisa Hallgarten, head of policy for Brook, a sexual health and wellbeing charity for young people, also welcomed the recognition of upskirting as a criminal offence.

But she said that "the law alone is not enough".

"Schools have a critical role in challenging harmful behaviours and practices by dealing with any issues promptly," she said.

"In order to keep children and young people safe from harm we must teach them at the earliest opportunity to respect each other's privacy, to know their rights and to understand issues around consent, coercion and unwanted, unsafe touch."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)